Fitting a “smart” central heating controller

We moved into our new house 13 months ago and inherited the rather basic on/off clock without a thermostat that controlled the boiler. Our bills were then set up based on our usage in the months that followed.

In the summer we then spent about £160 on a “smart” controller (multiple time and temperature settings) but carried on paying at the old rate.

I was rather delighted then today to find out that after this winter we were £500 in credit on the gas! GET THE #### IN! £160 well spent!

All I’ve got to do tonight is check that the meter readings match those on the statement… and if they do WAHAY! Good job too as The Mighty Vectra is going in again tomorrow for round 3 of the blowing turbo saga.

If you have an old controller style controller it may be worth upgrading.

Room thermostat seems to make a big difference to us also – especially with a baby room needing some heating at night. Ours was only 40 quid also – bargain.

Zoned heating and mobile (wireless) thermostats controlling different zones makes a huge difference. I might even reset the ‘stats to something more than the oil saving 15C we had on in the panic oil shortage. But then again nobody seems to have noticed or complained . . . in fact they’re awfully quiet . .

We had a programmable room thermostat at our old place. £60 a month for gas and electric put us into credit.

Paying £180 a month for both now hurts.

Get one then!

I’d love some sort of thermostat but we’re in rented and I don’t want to risk spending the money on it in case we leave.

We have on/off on a timer and that’s it. Not so bad in the winter when you can guarantee it’s cold, but this time of year we either come back to a freezing house or find that we’ve had the heating on a couple of extra hours needlessly.

We had a programmable thermostat at the first flat we lived in and our bills used to be tiny.

I’d love some sort of thermostat but we’re in rented and I don’t want to risk spending the money on it in case we leave.

Obviously I’d never suggest messing with your landlord’s electrics, but a wireless thermostat is £50 or so, and requires a few feet of 4 core wire, plus half an hour of time to plug it into a typical combi boiler, and can be removed in the same half hour or so leaving no traces.

Joe

aye, what joe said.

These are very good and take the roomstat a a step further

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/71054/Plumbing/Radiator-Valves/Terrier-i-temp-i30-Programmable-Thermostatic-Radiator-Valve

I’ve got a wireless room stat that does smart stuff like turn off the heating early knowing the heat will continue to rise and monitor rates of warm up etc. Still costing me 180 a month combined on gas/elec this winter!

I put a timed stat in about 5 years ago. Found the cheapest method is keeping the house about 16c overnight/unoccupied. Much lower & the heating is seemingly working full wack for an hour or more to heat it back up again. Its a 60’s ex-council semi with solid walls, so cavity insulation not possible. Considered dry-lining outside walls but not sure 25mm or so would really make much difference ? Anyone in the know care to comment ?

Local Housing Association were round a couple of years ago, cladding their remaining housing stock with 4″ polystyrene slabs, & rendering over. I spoke to someone at the Housing Association, with a view to getting ours done at the same time. They offered to do it at the same price they were paying for their properties…£8,000. I was gobsmacked. A gang of 3 blokes were doing a house a day.
I worked it out, given a 20% saving it would give me a 70yr payback.
🙂